Longmont man guilty in second arson trial

A 38-year-old Longmont man was found guilty on Friday in the second jury trial he's faced since being arrested and charged with arson two years ago.

Jeffrey Swander was convicted of first degree arson, a class 3 felony, following a week-long trial in Boulder County District Court.

The first trial two years ago resulted in a hung jury.

Swander and a man who worked for him, 38-year-old Clayton Cole, were suspected of intentionally setting fire to an unoccupied, two-story residence Swander owned at 961 Pasque Drive in Longmont on March 5, 2012.

The two men were both charged with arson. The arrest warrants charged that Swander, who was arrested May 4 that year, had coerced his employee to start the fire in order to collect on the insurance money.

Swander

The warrant affidavit showed that Swander had made a $102,000 insurance claim on the property the day after the fire.

Cole later had his arson charges dismissed by the district attorney's office. He pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and was sentenced in January 2013 to 30 days in jail, four years probation and ordered to pay restitution.

Boulder County deputy district attorneys Fred Johnson and Karen Lorenz prosecuted Swander in last week's trial. Sentencing for Swander is set for June 6.

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